The Mathematics of Fate and Magic
by Xyncomix
Summary: Clow Reed is visited by a Yuuko, and an amusing discussion about the workings of magic and fate develops from this casual visit. Romance? Well.. occasionally implied. Humor? well, sometimes... Altogether it is a little bit of every genre.


_Disclaimer: I neither own CCS nor xxxholic_

_Well, recently I'm kind of back to my CCS fandom from my childhood. Since Clamp stories are so intriguing I suppose that was to be expected, so I pulled out some old plot ideas and decided to write again._

_This is a story from Clow Reed's PoV._

**The Mathematics of Fate and Magic**

- A discourse between a lazy witch and a mischievous mage

A painted, very lovely white, but lazy foot was dangling in front of Clow Reed's latest work. The most powerful wizard who had ever lived blinked and bent his head down to adjust his glasses, a gesture he often fell back to when he was intrigued. A few strands of his loosely tied dark hair fragmented this most delicate view on the book he had worked on for months as he looked at this addition of apparently a female foot to his text. Pushing a view neat letters aside, the foot slowly made some room in the corner, until a complete miniature figure finally emerged, sitting on a now fallen big "T" from the front page of the first edition "The mathematics of magic" in a most legere attitude, smiling at him with sleepy eyes.

An impressive spell. Really matched up to a high level of magic, she probably just wanted to show him.

"Good morning, Clow Reed, almighty sorcerer and creator of the Clow Cards." The painted version of his dearest acquaintance and colleague Yuuko yawned slightly as she dropped her slender body, dressed in a long kimono adorned by butterflies, on the beautiful painted first letter of the text, before her eyes focused on Clow.

"Or should I rather say, my dear fairy king, Master of the most powerful magic ever seen?"

He chuckled to himself at the latest nickname, the town had dubbed him with. Ever since he completed his set of Clow Cards by creating the Light and the Dark, he celebrated that unforgettable mild midsummer night by releasing his cards inside his garden - which was more of a whole forest to get lost in - in front of his mansion for his creations to enjoy themselves. Just for one night. Even though this event was loathed by his two guardians, because they had to keep watch over the Clow Cards in his rather vast, fenceless premises, which was not an easy task. Especially if he considered that every year some people still managed to slip through and witness the mysterious, but joyful mischief of his dear cards. Needless to say, ever since then the rather gullible town believed his Clow Cards to be 'fairies' and the rather eccentric owner of that particular forest - in which the infamous fairies celebrated- their 'fairy king'.

Of course setting up a barrier around the woods preventing outsiders from entering could have solved the predicament of poor Cerberos and Yue, but he was curious to see, when his two guardians would actually ask him to do that. It might never happen due to Cerberos rather short sighted way of thinking and whose attention, besides his complaining, was more focused on the special treat of sweets he got as a reward after a hard night's work. Maybe his over sized pet was also too used to being in a state of constant exasperation, since Clow always found another way to balance dangerously on the delicate line between patience and rage of his short tempered sun guardian. But teasing his furry servant and see the variety of different displays of anger and exasperation on his expressive face was one of the few things he looked forward to every day. Yue, on the other side, with his quiet and inward personality had never been one to question his masters actions, let alone ask him to use his magic for his own convenience.

But Clow's reminiscing quickly came to an end, because his attention was immediately drawn back to his book - or rather the figure IN his book - as a printed bare foot pushed around the "M" of his mathematics to the side until it fell down.

"Would you please leave my book alone, my infamous fairy queen? I'm checking my latest work for mistakes. Other than you."

Yuuko grinned in that unique lavishly languid way of hers, her eyes shadowed by her long black eyelashes, which always gave the impression as though there were some things she left unsaid just to mess with her opponent.

"Fairy queen? Like Titania? I like the sound of that. How could I ever earn such a flattering nickname?"her foot whipped up and down playfully, resting on the curve of the 'a' in 'Magic'.

Clow Reed sighed with a reprimanding, but still characteristic soft, tone. "Well, you weren't exactly a well behaved guest, when you joined the Clow Card's midsummer night's celebration last year. So I suppose you took no part in that incident with the unfortunate young fellow?"

Yuuko just shrugged his reproof guilelessly.

"So he was turned into a donkey for a night. How can you blame me for him losing a genuine punishment game?"

"Genuine?"

The master mage indicated the smallest raising of an eyebrow in a silent reproach. If not even the Creator of the Clow Cards himself could beat the rather hard drinking witch in any drinking contest, how could a random traveller, who just got lost in a foreign forest and chanced upon meeting the party-loving Yuuko for the first time, ever stand a real chance against her?

Yuuko caught the hint, but just grinned and sat up, her kimono revealing a pair of long alabaster legs, and threw one of those legs over the other.

"Well, it's not like he did not have any fun. He thought it was a dream anyway and he seems rather comfortable with me stroking his soft donkey ears. Besides, you have to admit that party was one of a kind... I heard you teaching The Song a few dirty drinking songs, and they could surely be perceived throughout the whole woods. The town's people still talk about the ruckus that night. I can't blame them. Those were some pretty good ones I had not known yet myself."

Clow smiled gently at the memory. Yeah, indeed there had been some interesting ones drinking songs, which even made the ever so stoic Yue blush to his hair roots. He could have sworn the even his hair had turned a little pink upon hearing some of the songs, echoing through the woods.

" It's not like someone has ever been harmed during those nights. Besides, weaving through the threads of fate is exhausting at times and even the most powerful wizard in the world needs a break from responsibilities at times."

The two-dimensional Yuuko chuckled at the fairy king's words, as she kicked the M from "magic", which fell out of his book as a sad consequence. Even though his mild mannered smile never broke, as he picked the violated letter up to put it back, Yuuko's blasphemous actions did slightly hurt his feelings. But the little version of the witch saw straight through the old magician, poking more into his pride.

"You still think you can control everything with your magic, don't you?"

Clow Reed disagreed with a smirk."Magic IS fate, my dear. It is always in the hands of those who wield the power to shape the world."

"Fate is fate. Power by itself cannot control it. Proof: Even the smallest incidents and encounters can offer the opportunity for change. Magic is just one of the means of trying to control it. And regardless of your magic, you still are a mere mortal. Why do you need this claim of control over everything?", Yuuko pointed out by drawing circles in the air - pardon- blank space of his book.

Clows body heaved with a long sigh, his genuine smile turning into one of politeness.

"It is not like I have a choice regarding my foresight. It is hard not to think the future to be in the palm of your hand, when you see the future as if it were right in front of your eyes. It is a rather heavy burden actually, I admit, but since I can't really deny my own powers and thus my ability to shape the world - and yes, even fate- it is more like stating fact than just a claim."

Yuuko shook her head slowly.

"Your life would be easier without bearing so much power and your constant need to control everything you see in your visions. It burdens and apparently, also blinds you. Despite all your powers, you still are a mere mortal, who can't prevent fate. I wonder why you are so obsessed with this notion of control."

Yuuko closed her eyes and leaned against her letter to support her resting pose and draped the cloth of her kimono around her It was obvious she did not expect an immediate response from him, so Clow contemplated her words carefully.

His time was limited despite his powers, that much was true in what she had said. And nobody on this planet was more grateful for that limitation than him. And yet...

There were so many things he could foresee. He knew when he would die. He knew what would happen after his demise. He knew his cards would die without magic to sustain them. He knew who had the capacity the inherit and sustain his Clow Cards. And he was free to chose which candidate was most fit to take care of his guardians and cards.

And he knew that his dear young heiress of choice would fail - not because of lack of inherent power, but because she cared too much and her powers would still be in a state of requiring more refinement when she would encounter the judgement. It was not like he considered that caring trait a weakness, on the contrary: It was because of that adorable personality he wanted to make sure she was chosen as the next master of the Clow Cards, even though his own descendant would also be relevant choice if it were just about magical potential.

So he carefully used his foresight to find a way to ensure she was given a second chance. He already designed a particular device, a curious moon bell, for that purpose. The only thing left to do was to find someone capable of using it. He certainly could have left it to his reincarnation to deal with this matter, but since Yue would have never accepted a new master at that point, if Clows own reincarnation were to appear at that time, he dropped this option quickly.

Besides, he had found three other people who would be close to the events taking place and be born with an appropriate amount of magic to actually use the device according to his wishes. One choice would be his own descendant. But considering the personal relation to Clow Reed himself it did not strike him as a wise decision, since he knew there would be a conflict of interest between the Li and the young lady he had in mind. Afterall, his clan would also send him to capture the Clow Cards. Another possibility would be the brother of his chosen heiress. But since he had no relation to the more delicate uses of magic - there seemed to be a great lack of teachers of magic in the future - it was unlikely for him to even know what the magic inside the device was meant for, much less give knowing who to give it to. So he was left with the beautiful descendant of the priests minding the Tsukihime Shrine, who would be taught in the ways of magic by her family and whose inherent ability of foresight was certainly not a disadvantage in the whole ordeal to come.

Foresight, power and careful manipulation of future events was all it needed for him to shape the future. It left him to the same conclusion as before: His power and foresight, as much as he would have liked to agree with Yuuko's theory of the junction of fate independent of one's actions, his logic proved her otherwise. And he made a point of telling her so.

"Ichihara-san."

A drowsy eye opened and Yuuko turned from her resting letter to face her colleague again. He adjusted his glasses and started speaking again, without arrogance and more matter of factly.

"You might think magic to have no sway over fate, but what is the difference between magic and fate if magic enables one as powerful as I am to foresee the future? I can act and manipulate the chain of events beforehand and therefore shape the future to my liking."

Yuuko chuckled at this claim, which would sound preposterous if said by anyone other than him. But from his lips it sounded everything but silly. Still, she shook a delicate finger at him as though explaining a child how to tie shoelaces. This put him off a little, because he was actually the elder of the two and he had never been one to end up in an inferior situation in an argument, both because of his magic and his inherent intelligence. And yet, despite his intelligence and wisdom, Yuuko sometimes seemed to have an insight into matters, which had always eluded him during their long and close friendship. Maybe that was the reason why she was one of the few things in this world which actually managed to amaze and surprise him, which was not an easy feat with him and his sometimes unwanted foresight. She folded her tiny painted arms in front of her chest and red crimson eyes locked deep blue eyes, even though they were slightly hidden behind a pair of glasses.

"It seems even the powerful Clow cannot grasp his limitations in the grander scheme of fate. Fate is more than you might think, it is the junction of events which are supposed to happen, regardless of the little things one might do to prevent or change them. Fateful events are not decided or a consequence, they just exist. As final as death itself. Unlike your visions, which can always change depending on the things you do afterwards, what you read in your visions is not the future as fate. Fate might be something you might have never seen in your ever changing visions."

Suddenly Clow felt tired of this argument she brought up whenever there was talk of his foresight. It was not like he chose to be born with so much power and thus the rather heavy responsibility to see and manipulate future events. All his meticulous planning had an actual impact on the future. He knew it. He had seen it. And his work was flawless.

"My dear Ichihara-san, are you really that desperate to find faults in my work that you now try to argue with things such as a fate I cannot predict?"

"As arrogant as ever, Clow, aren't you?"

Yuuko Ichihara's gaze did not waver. Neither did Clow Reed'.s

"Stating facts is not arrogance, Yuuko."

She frowned at the use of her name. Not so much because of the intimacy it implied, it was not her real name, after all. But she was very aware of his habit to use her forename when he considered their arguments as over. But she did not. She circled around one of the letters in a casual, yet majestic manner. It had an interesting effect on how her kimono waved around her like a graceful storm of butterflies. With a last wave of her hand, she dispelled her magic and slowly stepped out of his book. Suddenly faced with her three dimensional version, Clow wondered if she exposed her pale long legs on purpose, knowing how graceful and suggestive her movements were, as her tall body completely emerged in front of him, a trail of her kimono still lingering inside his book. Probably intentional, the great mage decided. As her long arms rested on both armrests of his favourite chair, he noticed that her arms also somehow managed to display that languid, yet seductive manner, which seemed to be embossed in her lazy yet captivating attitude. Even in every strand of hair surrounding him now she seemed to radiate with her feline idleness, like she was about to pounce and prey on him. Not like he was scared. No, the most powerful sorcerer of his era would never be scared by a mere display of physical closeness.

Her nose almost touched his, as she bent down to fixate him with her enigmatic gleaming eyes.

"Is that a challenge I hear implied in your words?"

Despite her effect on his senses, his soft smile persevered. He knew how much that aggravated her and there it was already. A pulsing vein. He chuckled. The witch clenched a fist, her smile turning into an angry smirk, which kind of lessened the seductive air around her. Indeed, he could not help but think that this was one of her rather cute traits.

"If you want to make a bet over this."

"Sure, why not?"

He shot her a doubtful look Was she serious? Usually he won most of the bets he habitually initiated and provoked her into accepting. And he made sure Yuuko never forgot that, since seeing her pout after a loss was actually one of his delights in his long life. But agreeing without his further teasing? That was rather rare..

"A bet it is then", she whispered into his ear, her breath tickling his neck with a slightly exhilarating sensation. He decided not to put too much though into if this sensation was caused by her words or something else... maybe it was a bit of both.

"I'm listening."

The blue eyes of the mage glinted in glee, as she whispered to him in her low voice. He gladly agreed. And thus the mage's and the witch's bet on fate was made.

With a clap of her hands she took her kimonos sleeve, which had been stuck to his book and left his mansion the old fashioned way: through the entrance. But not without giving him a last look, as she caressed the door frame casually. One of her beautiful legs and a part of her white shoulders again managed to escape the confinements. He pondered on how the witch seemed to love wearing her kimonos loose. One move and she could probably shrug off her whole attire.

"If you like, you can accompany me... on my leisurely walk."

She could indeed be a witch.

Clow Reed decided to smile unfazed and nodded, as he threw a last curious glance at his still open book. Fascinated he saw Ichihara Yuuko had not left any traces of her appearance inside the book. Except for a beautifully inked black butterfly. Maybe lost by her butterfly kimono? He smiled and closed the book before he joined his raven haired colleague on a... leisurely walk.

If back then the great mage had only known about the events to happen.

How he should come to regret his vanity.

One little innocent, too human a wish of a mage too powerful for his own good.

In a moment of weakness, one single wish turned space and time itself upside down, into a looping tragic Holocaust.

Yes, he was capable of changing fate... and even more: going AGAINST fate, destroying the logic of the world in the process. All worlds.

And never he regretted being so right and so wrong at the same time.

Death was a fate no magic in the world should ever temper with.

The End.

_Author's comment:_

_1. I actually kept this vague on the romance side, because actually I am not sure what to think of the relationship Yuuko and Clow might have had. I'm pretty sure that Yuuko might is Clow's most important person and they were at least close friends, considering the events of Tsubasa chronicles. But if it was a romantic kind of relationship? Not necessarily. I like to think both had feelings towards each other, but Clow does not quite strike me as the kind of person to initiate such things, similar to Fujitaka. And Yuuko... She does not say a lot about Clow in the manga series, except she seemed to get pissed at one point, reminiscing about him. I prefer to think she likes to tease by suggesting a lot of ambiguous things without actually initiating anything, if there were love to be involved. And that he often presses her buttons to provoke her... So it is a bit like a game between the two in the end, and that Yuuko is easily teased by Clow Reed..._

_2. Originally this one shot was meant to be the prologue of a CCS story with a focus on Eriol and maybe also Tomoyo. But since it somehow managed to get a life on its own it kind of turned out to be too long for a prologue, so I changed the ending a bit to fit a one shot._

_If I ever get to work on the story this one shot was originally intended as a prologue for, I will probably use a shorter slightly changed version, since I kind of like the idea of Clow and Yuuko 'bickering' with each other and involving the CCS cast._

_I do not know when that will happen though, since I am rather busy lately, despite my urge to write it._


End file.
